Self-closing railroad-switch



No. 6l9,|35. Patented Feb. 7, I899. R. F. BARNES.

SELF CLOSING RAILROAD SWITCH.

(Application filed July 9, 1898.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

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No. 6l9,l35. Patented Feb. 7, I899.

n. F, BARNES. SELF CLOSING BAILBUAD SWITCH.

(Application filed July 9, 1898.)

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No. 6I9,|35. Patented Feb. 7, I899. R, F. BARNES.

SELF CLOSING RAILROAD SWITCH.

(Application filed July 9, 1898.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Shoat 3.

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I I I 54w I I 2/ W i l =n 4L, 19,, ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUFUS FRANKLIN CARNES, OF ELDRIDGE, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO JOHN H. BANKI-IEAD, JR, OF JASPER, ALABAMA.

SELF-CLOSING RAILROAD-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 619,135, dated. February '7, 1899.

Application filed July 9,1898. Serial No. 685,551. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUFUS FRANKLIN CARNES, of Eldridge, in the county of Walker and State of Alabama, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Self Olosin g Railroad-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

It is often the case that a train-crew or trackman forgets to close a switch after opening it and goes away leaving it open or thrown to siding. Should a train on the main track come from the same direction, (as the one that passed ofi the siding and left the switch open,) said train on the main track splits the switch and is itself wrecked. Should a train on the main track come in the opposite direction, it runs on the siding, and if any cars are on the siding the train collides with them, and if the train is moving fast there is damage to the extent of thousands-of dollars and many lives are lost. It is to prevent just such accidents that my invention is designed, and it proceeds by making the closure of the switch (after being opened) independent of the memory or thought of the switchman by providing automatic self closing devices arranged to act within apredetermined time to automatically close the switch at the expiration of a definite interval of time, so that even if the switchman forgets and leaves the switch open it will at the expiration of its interval of time automatically close itself.

My invention comprises a motor for closing the switch, which is set into action by the movement of the switch-lever in opening the switch, combined with an escapement mechanism arranged to close the switch aftera definite interval, as will be hereinafter more fully described, with reference to the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the switch, with the switch-stand shown in horizontal section. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2' 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the switchstand, taken from the lever side. Fig. 4. is a side elevation from the opposite side to Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an inside elevation of the switchs'tand, looking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. Figs. 6 and 7 are details in perspective of the interior mechanism, and Fig;

8 is a sectional perspective view of a part of the switch.

In the drawings, Fig. 1, A A represent the two rails of the main track, and B B the two rails of a siding.

A. and B are the two switch-rails, which are pivoted at their ends a Z) and taper to a wedge end at the other end and are connected by transverse bars 64 so as to be held parallel as they swing laterally about their pivots co 1). When the switch A B is thrown to the left, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the main track is open or disconnected to admit cars onto the siding, and when the switchrails are thrown to the right the main track is continuous or closed andthe siding is disconnected. The lateral adjustment of these switch-rails is effected bya horizontal rod 0, extending into the lower part of the switchstand S. This stand is a sheet-metal box made in pieces and connected by bolts which cannot be tampered with from the outside, and has also on one side a hinged door D to give access of switch-tender to the interior.

In suitable bearings in the lower part of the switch-stand there is journaled a horizontal main shaft E, which extends through the side of the box and is provided with a rigidly-attached hand-lever E. This shaft within the box is also provided with a semicircular gear-wheel E and a drum E, Fig. 7 beside it, upon which is wound a cord, wire,

chain, or other flexible connection a, and the other end of which is attached to a springarm I), so that when shaftE is rotated in one direction it winds up the cord on the drum and puts the spring-arm under tension, which spring-arm will then tend to rotate the semicircular gear in the opposite direction.

Just above the shaft E and parallel with it there is another horizontal shaft F, journaled in bearings in the framework and having rigidly attached to it a small gear-wheel f, Fig. 5, adapted to be engaged by the semicircular gear E and also a large toothed escapementwheel F. Just above this escapement-wheel and lying in its vertical plane there is arranged a rock-shaft G, which is provided at a point near its middle and tangential to the escapement-wheel with two inclined lugs or 100 bearings g g, which alternately engage with the teeth of the wheel and allowthe latter to pass one at a time with an intermittent motion. On the end of this rock-shaft there is rigidly fixed a swinging pendulum H, extending both above and below the center of oscillation and provided with adjustable weights h-h, which may be moved up and down on the pendulum-arms to cause their oscillation to be faster or slower, as may be desired.

On the main shaft E, Fig. 7, there is a cam E, which bears against the bent arm of the switch-operating rod 0 and constitutes the medium through which the switch isoperated.

as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and allow the motor mechanism to act at once without waiting for the escapement mechanism to act through its regular period of time. To accomplish this, said bearing is slotted (see Fig. 6) and arranged above a hinged arm I, which is made to do the lifting through a vertical rod 1 which at its lower end connects with an I arm K of a rock-shaft K, which is provided with bearings 70 along the track and has on the opposite side from the arm K another shorter arm K, Fig. 1, with a shoe k on its end, which is adapted to be pressed down by the carwheels of -the train on the main track.

In the bottom of the box and running transversely beneath the arm K and the lever J there is a short treadle-lever L, which extends through the side of the box and is provided with a foot-piece Z to be depressed by the foot, and-its effect when so depressed is to lift arm J and lock the escapement and simultaneously to lift arm I and disconnect the escapement. I

M is a visible signal, of ordinary construction, having vanes withred and white sides,designed to show open or closed position of the switch. At night a red and white light is used. This signal is fixed on a vertical rockshaft m, which at its lower end has a pair of arms m, Fig. 7, that are rocked by the movement of the arm 0 of switch-operating rod 0.

The operation of my device as-so far described is as follows: To open -the switch and connect the siding, the treadle L is first depressed by placing the foot on the rest Z. This throws up lever-arm J and locks the escapement-wheel, and at the same time throws lines, Fig. 2. The switch-lever E is now turned back in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3. This action (see Fig. 7) winds up cord at on drum E putting spring b under tension, andthe cam E, bearing against arm 0, throws the switch-rod O and switch to the left, Figs. 1, 2, and 7. At the same time semicircular gear E goes into engagement with the small gear f and rotates the escapeme'nt-wheel F backward. Treadle'L is now released. This drops pendulum-shaft G, so that its escapement is connected at the point 9 and the locking-arm J is allowed to drop away from the escapement-wheel. The power of the spring bis now free to rotate drum E gear E gear f, escapement-wheel F, and the pendulumshaft G, with pendulum H, begins to rock, and continues to rock until semicircular gear E passes out of engagement with the small gear f, and then the rapid return of the drum E and semicircular gear E throws the switchrod 0 and switch to its closed position even if the switchman has forgotten to do so. The means by which this is accomplished by the unwinding of the motor is as follows:

The end of the semicircular gear E Fig. 7, as it nears the end of the stroke strikes against the end of horizontal lever S, fulcrumed at s in the bottom of the box to move in a horizontal plane, and as the other end of the lever is jointed to the switch-operating rod 0 the parts in this position until automatically released. When this is to happen, a pin 0 on segmental gear E rides on the end of detent'n (see Fig. 7) and throws its opposite end above the retaining-lug 'n, as shown in Fig. 2.

At the end of the segmental gear E there is a pivoted and spring-seated sectionof teeth t, forming a break in the continuity of the gear. The object of this is to lead the gearteeth on the pinion f above it when it reengages the same without allowing the cogs to 3am.

At the beginning of the section 25 the cogs are omitted, as seen at i. This allows the slide-rails to move at once when time has expired for the switch to remain open. If it were not for the skip in the cogs, the slide-rails would have to be moved slowly, and if a train should use the main line while these rails were being moved it would be wrecked.

Ordinarily after the switchman has adjusted his switch-lever E to open the switch he will immediately close it by simply putting his foot on treadle l, which prevents the escapement from acting; but if he forgets to do this the switch through its motor and escapement will after a predetermined time close itself. The period of time through which the switch is made to close is predetermined and is rendered variable to suit the requirements of the case by moving the adjustable weights h on the pendulum H in or out from the center.- The shorter the stroke of the pendulum the more rapidly the escapement runs down and the sooner the switch is closed.

In case a train should come over the main track during the period within which the escapement is acting the wheels of such train press down shoe k and by rocking shaft K in its bearings It 7r lifts rod 1 and by disconnecting the escapement mechanism allows the motor to run down instantly and instantly closes the switch. One of the bearings k is in rod 0, which causes the shoe k to come in range of engagement with the car-wheels only when the switch is open, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1.

To hold the escapement from running down while a train is on a switch, and thus keep the switch open until the train is off the switch, the depressible rail R under the pressure of the cars holds the locking device J up into contact with the escapement-wheel, as in Fig. 2, and thus renders it inoperative until the train is off the switch.

On the shaft E, outside the box, there is an index-hand N (see Fig. 4E) on the opposite end from the hand-lever, which index-hand points to a graduated arc scale showing how nearly the switch is to being turned off. The handlever E cooperates with a similar graduated scale on its side for the same purpose. In the side of the box adjacent to the hand-lever there is also a spring-lock 0, Figs. 3 and 5, which is provided with a bolt adapted to engage with the shaft E of the hand-lever, so as to automatically lock the switch against being tampered with by unauthorized persons.

In making use of my invention I would state that I do not confine myself to the particular construction shown and described, as various modifications might be made without departing from my invention. Instead of using a spring-motor for actuating the timeescapement it is obvious that a weight-motor, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 7, or any other form which is set into action by the opening of the switch might be used.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A self-closing railway-switch, comprising a motor set into action by the opening of the switch, a time-escapement, and means .for causing the motor to act upon the switch and close it at the expiration of its time period substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. A self-closing railway-switch, comprising a motor set into action by the opening of the switch, a time -escapement, means for causing the motor to act upon the switch at the end of the time period, and a device arranged along the road-bed to be pressed down by a train, said device being connected to the time-escapement to render it inoperative and instantly close the switch substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. A self-closing railway-switch, comprising a motor set into action by the opening of the switch, a time-escapement, means for causing the motor to act upon the switch at the end of the time period, and a device ar ranged beside the road-bed of the siding to be normally pressed upon by cars on the switch said means being provided with a looking device to hold the escapement while the cars are on said switch substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. A self-closing and self-locking railwayswitch comprising a motor set into action by the opening of the switch, a time-escapement, means for causing the motor to act upon the switch and close it at the expiration of its time period, means for locking the switch open, and means for automatically unlocking the same in closing substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. A self-closing railway-switch, comprising a rotary spring-actuated shaft bearing cam E and segmental gear E, a switch-actuating rod 0 having connection with and set by said cam, a superposed shaft with pinion and escapement wheel, an escapement-shaft with pendulum and escapement-lugs or pallet, means for lifting the escapement-shaft from its wheel, and means for causing the backward motion of the spring-shaft to operate on the switch-rod to close the switch substantially as shown and described.

RUFUS FRANKLIN GARNES.

Witnesses:

DORA SIPPER, SALLIE TERRY. 

